


the choices we make

by xaeli (eggstatics)



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-07-01 03:20:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15765537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eggstatics/pseuds/xaeli
Summary: Things were normal - or as normal as they could be. After the summer from hell everyone was trying to move on, but Veronica was stuck. Trapped in her mind and in this idea that she couldn't be any less than the composed girl everyone expected her to be. But one day she gets a note - and all of a sudden Veronica Lodge found herself playing a rigged game of Would You Rather that she can't seem to escape all the while everyone is waiting and watching for her to finally go over the edge.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place after the end of season 2 and is inspired by Betty's interactions with the Black Hood as well as movies/books such as Would You Rather, Truth or Dare, and Nerve.

Veronica Lodge was never one to believe in gut feelings or instincts. As religious as her family may have been, she wasn’t one to think life and all of the decisions involved in it should be controlled by her bowels. She _especially_ didn’t think that God, the universe, or whatever was out there, would warn her of the inevitable by sending down a sensation that almost always seemed to be wrong. Veronica operated on more reliable organs than her stomach for her decisions - like her _heart_ or, on occasion, her mind.

Had Veronica believed in her gut, she may not have gotten out of bed that morning. Had Veronica believed in her gut she would have shut off her alarm, rolled over, and stayed perfectly put. Had Veronica believed in her gut she never would have found that damn note - and maybe, just maybe, then she wouldn’t have to be sitting in a hospital waiting room, with the weight of the entire world on her shoulders. But, of course, when Veronica woke up that morning, her stomach in knots, she shook off the feeling - crediting it to a night of unrest - and went to school just like any other day.

On her way to Riverdale High Veronica felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, and struggled to shake the feeling that she was being watched - something she’d almost gotten used to. After everything she’d been through, after all that happened, people were always staring at her. Waiting, in high anticipation, for her to break. To yell, to cry, to do anything but smile and nod and pretend she didn’t see Midge’s body pinned against the wall every time she closed her eyes. Pretend her nightmares weren’t filled with Betty hanging there instead. Pretend that every time Archie’s face went a little bit cold, she didn’t try to think about those weeks he’d spent behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit - and how he’d still be the glowing boy who didn’t have empty eyes if she just let him go. If she wasn’t selfish, and wanting to be with him, even as it put him in harm's way. Pretend it was all normal and that she didn’t stop opening up to people because they’d try to tell her it wasn’t her fault - even though she knew it was. Pretend everything was fine. Because everything was fine. Really, it was _fine._ And she’d tell you that too - every chance she got. And she’d continue to do so, until maybe one day she believed it.

There wasn't an odd stillness to the school, anything to tell her that she shouldn’t go in. Something that said - if you go in, if you open your locker, if you don’t turn around now, everything changes. It was all exactly how it always was. Loud, crowded, and with a slight scent of wet cardboard that carried out throughout the entire building. So Veronica saw no reason to not go inside, to not open her locker, and to not pick up the little white envelope that fell on the ground when she did.

“What’s that?” Betty asked, ponytail swinging, just as Veronica was moving to unsheath whatever letter was inside. She quickly stuffed the envelope into her bag, not sure if she wanted to open it now anyways.

“Don’t know,” She smiled at her friend in a way that almost felt genuine, “It just kind of fell out when I opened my locker.”

“Oh, well, let’s hope no one’s out to get us this year.” The corner of Betty’s mouth quirked up in a smile - she meant it as a joke. Veronica didn’t take it as one. Veronica laughed anyways, the part of her bag where the envelope was now feeling significanglty heavier. “C’mon V, we gotta get to class.”

First period they were lucky enough to have together. But, they were unlucky enough to have it be macroeconomics with none other than the infamous Mr. Alexander Darling - who insisted all of the students call him Alex. _“Mr. Darling is my father.”_ He’d always joke, holding his chest as he’d laugh at the idea.

“Opportunity cost,” Alex started almost immediately after the bell rang, “It’s the cost of something - or more specifically the cost of what you give up in order to get it. You see, nothing is free, even if the world tells you it is. Activities cost us time, a day with friends costs us a day with family, and a healthy allowance costs you the opportunity to learn what it’s like to make money for yourself.” He winked in Veronica’s general direction, and she tried to convince herself it was more of a jab at Cheryl, who she was assigned to sit next to, than her. Afterall, she’d cut herself off from Lodge Industries - even if it was not public knowledge...yet.

“When life faces us with decisions, we must weigh the opportunity benefit against the cost. What will you gain? What will it _cost?_ Do they break even? Is something not worth the expense? How can you tell?”

In front of her, Veronica could see Betty furiously scribbling down notes. Everyone dealt with the boredom of Alex and his economics in different ways. Cheryl chose to focus on his outfits - afterall, Alex _could_ be considered attractive (if you’re into the book-y young teacher type) but he often wore blue checkered shorts or khakis which never fit - and besides, any positive genetic attributes he had were immediately contradicted by the sovereign bore factor of his lessons. Veronica would phase in and out of attention - doodling even when she was listening because anything she did well in this class reflected negatively on her. All thanks to Lodge Industries, of course. Because why _wouldn’t_ Hiram Lodge’s daughter get good marks in a course that focused on the business world? But Betty? Betty would challenge herself to write down every single word that left Alex’s mouth. _Every. Single. Word._ It was like her first instinct when things got stodgy was to work even harder. Something Cheryl and Veronica often poked fun at when things got particularly monotonous in the lesson.

“Geez, Cooper, you know you’re allowed to lift the pen right?” Cheryl whispered to Veronica as Betty’s ponytail bobbed back in forth as result of her speed-writing.

“She only gets to lift the pen when Alex takes a breath.” Veronica retorted.

“Oh, so never?” The pair laughed, their heads leaned against each other and their fingers intertwined. Veronica could almost hear Toni sarcastically telling them to knock it off and wriggling between them.

Things felt so normal - or at least as normal as they could anymore - Veronica all but forgot about the letter. Until she opened her locker again, and a second envelope tumbled onto the ground. It took her a moment to process it had even fallen, she just looked at it blankly on the floor. She had every intention of leaving it there - hoping that if they stayed closed she could keep living her life as best she could. But if the world wants something to happen - even the stubbornness of Veronica Lodge couldn’t stop the inevitable. Against her own better judgement, Veronica picked up the envelope and put it in her bag beside the original and walked past her classroom into the student lounge - which was almost always empty during the school day. Aside from a few ditchers - who were making the rookie mistake of staying on campus - Veronica was alone in the room and closed the door behind her. She made her way to the sofa and pulled out both letters - the first one she’d already torn into and the second one waiting to be opened. She turned over the card that was inside of the first envelope;

_Do you want to play a game?_

Veronica’s nose involuntarily crinkled - a habit from years of experience silently judging people and things in New York. She set aside the first card and tore into the second which also held a single slip of paper. This time the card had a web address written across it. For the second time that day, curiosity got the better of her. Veronica pulled out her phone and carefully copied the address into her search engine. After a few minutes the page loaded. It was a black screen with the three monkey emojis scrolling across the screen - she scrunched her nose again. She went to put her phone away when she received a text without a sender.

**RULES OF THE GAME:**

**Don't tell anyone about the game.**

**You'll be give a two choices - pick one.**

**Failure to select will result in one being chosen for you.**

**Failure to complete the task prior to time running out will**

**result in the latter option being completed for you.**

 

“Veronica are you okay?” A voice startled Veronica and she clicked off her phone - shoving both it and the letters into her bag.

“Yes, sorry. Just looking up some rules to a game.” She smiled and moved over so the other person could sit, “How are things at home, Jug?”

“What do you need to know about my homelife for?” Jughead glowered at her. They never did quite get along, regardless of how much Veronica tried. Their personalities just didn’t... _match._ And she knew he was waiting for the day Archie would end it between them so he could finally talk about all the awful things she knows he thinks about her. Jughead may be a mystery - but he was always so easy to read. For her at least.

Veronica shrugged, “Maybe I could help.”

Jughead scoffed and leaned further back into the couch, spreading his arms across the back and kicking his heavy boot-clad feet up onto the coffee table.

“Yeah, no thanks. I think Riverdale has had enough _help_ from the Lodge family to last a lifetime.”

Veronica looked down at her hands, which were folded together in her lap. No matter how much she distanced herself from her family and the business it always seemed to loop right back to her. And without Betty or Archie to step in she knew she just had to take it. Engaging in a territory battle with Jughead Jones was not the sort of thing most people walked away from unscathed. He was relentless - and that was probably one of the only things they had in common.

“I think I’m going to try to catch the last couple minutes of Osline’s lecture.” She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear, only for it to fall back in front of her again, “It was nice talking to you Jughead.” She gave an stiff wave to which he responded with an apathetic nod before she bustled out of the room and headed to class.

Osline wasn’t pleased with Veronica’s tardy arrival, and everyone in the classroom seemed to move onto the edge of their seat in anticipation of the outburst they’ve all been waiting for from her. Betty had her breakdown immediately after Archie was arrested last year. She’d yelled at the principal, at the police, at the students - she’d even yelled at herself. It was a spectacle no one thought could be topped. That is, until a month later when Jughead threw a desk and broke a whiteboard all because Reggie said he wasn’t surprised by what Archie had done, because after all _look at his friends - the daughter of a serial killer and king of the fags._ FP had a lot to say about that day - especially since he had been the one to pay for the whiteboard to be replaced. Veronica had offered to pay - or at the very least offered a job to Jughead at Pop’s to help him pay it off, and all she got in return was a scowl. That was all anyone could talk about - until Archie came back to Riverdale High. His first day back that year brought in a storm all of its own.

 _“What are you looking at, huh?”_ He’d shouted in the middle of the hallway, _“Oh let’s all look at Archie let’s_ see how prison changed him! _You want a show? I’ll give you a show!”_ Betty and Jughead tried as best they could to reign him in, but it wasn’t until Veronica stepped in did he stop.

 _“Look at me Arch.”_ She’d said, her hands cradling his face, _“Don’t look at them look at_ me.” And just like that, the great Archie Andrews completely deflated and slumped against his girlfriend - her arms wrapped around his neck as he cried into her shoulder. She was the last one, The _only_ bomb that had yet to detonate. And everyone kept their eyes wide and open, awaiting the moment the great Veronica Lodge would give in and become her own undoing. But the outburst didn’t come, she merely apologized for her tardiness and made her way to her seat.

“Even I’m starting to wonder if you’re even human.” Sweet Pea leaned into Veronica when Ms.Osline had her back to the class, “The way people look at you alone would be enough to make me go off.”

“Yeah, well, Lathyrus Odoratus,” Veronica clasped her hands in front of her on her desk, “Keeping your cool in a heated situation is the difference between sealing a deal and losing the investment of a lifetime. You’d think with all the nods to my families business people would’ve put that much together.” The smile faded away from Sweet Pea’s face and he turned his attention back to the board, turning occasionally to look at Veronica; watching her with more heedfulness than anything.

It was a relief when at the end of the day the final bell rang and she got to head home. She used to think of her bedroom as some sort of prison. A place where she was isolated from the rest of the world. She’d do anything to feel like she wasn’t alone in there. Whether it was having Archie sneak in and spend the night with her or facetiming Betty, she always wanted to have someone with her. A side effect from a childhood with many sleepless nights alone, no doubt. But after everything that had happened, she started to see her room as her solitude more than anything. Not a place where she was kept from people but instead a place where she escaped them. No prying eyes of her peers, no subtle whispers of the streets, not even the watchful eyes of her own parents. It was the only place she felt safe anymore - and she worried the only reason it felt safe was because she was alone.

After getting home Veronica kicked off her heels and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a tub of pomegranate seeds from the fridge that she carried off into her bedroom. A small part of her was disappointed when she opened the door and Archie wasn’t sitting on her bed. She imagined they’d lay across from each other, spooning pomegranate into each others mouths and laughing to the point of hysteria when Archie would put too many on a spoon and get them all over Veronica and her sheets. Then they’d kiss, and they’d still be able to taste the fruit on each others tongues. She’d wrap her arms around his neck and he’d pull her in by the waist until they were so close and both of their bodies were shooting off a million emotions at once - not one of them bad - that you wouldn’t be able to tell where one person ended and they other began, because they’d exist in a world of infinity, passion and possibilities. But her bed was empty. There was no infinity she’d want to exist in here. Only the light dripping in from her window and the disheartening realization that she was alone. And yes, that was _fine._ Perfectly fine, thank you very much.

The seeds were long gone and the empty container sat on her bed as a reminder of the ghost of a fantasy. Veronica was sprawled across her sheets, lounging now in a pair of black joggers and a sports bra as she scrolled mindlessly through her twitter feed on her laptop, when her phone vibrated twice on her nightstand. She sighed as she rolled to retrieve the device - afterall, it was probably Betty. And a distraction from her distraction was very welcome. Except, her notification screen was blank, and when she unlocked the device her own reflection greeted her in the black screen. Until two boxes faded into the screen, followed by the words:

**ROUND ONE**

ANNOUNCE YOUR DEPARTURE

FROM LODGE INDUSTRIES

**or**

MAKE LODGE INDUSTRIES PRIVATE

BANK STATEMENTS PUBLIC

**30:00**

Let the games begin.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Being in high school, more often than not, gave Veronica a lot of things to think about and occupy her time obsessing over. Having been raised in one of the fashion capitals of the world, appearances were only the beginning when it came to the list of thoughts that consumed her in place of zen. Even putting the obvious clothes, boys, girls, grades and friends notions aside there was still owning and operating Pop’s as a successful diner, the River Vixens, the launch of her Southside charity - which the Southside was _less_ than appreciative of, her role in the student government, and - most recently - the digital threat that felt more like a boogie man than an actual menace. Still, she fully intended on playing along with whatever game they were engaged in - in the hopes of keeping the situation from snowballing.

With so much swirling around her mind and hazing together, Veronica decided to partake in the one activity that always seemed to remove her from whatever situation was causing her to lose sleep at night - sitting outside with a compilation of Virginia Woolf’s writings, and letting her senses do all of the thinking. If you didn’t know her , you’d almost never guess that Veronica was the type of girl who actually _enjoyed_ being outside. So much so that she almost looked out of place as she was lounging out on the front lawn of Riverdale High. Veronica learned very early on in life that nature was an escape for her. Being able to breathe the fresh air and look out across even the smallest patch of green always helped put her problems into perspective - not to mention the fact that it just felt so _liberating._ Which was most likely a byproduct of living in a city for most of her life.

When the Lodge’s moved to Riverdale, the pure ecstasy that came coupled with relocating to a town with no shortage of open expanses and bucolic nearly eclipsed Veronica’s homesickness and longing for the concrete jungle. Contrary to Hermione’s wishes, after they’d settled Ronnie spent almost every moment outdoors and enjoying the landscape she would have had to go to Central Park to see back home. Being in the business determined that open quarters implied a greater threat, which was a concept Veronica was never able to discern for herself. Which is why, with the grass poking at her ankles and the sun glinting over the roof of the school, Veronica was finally able to relax. Something she would have deemed impossible the night before.

Veronica’s hand stilled as she moved to turn the page, her ears tuning in to the sound of grass being disturbed in slow, consistent strides growing in volume. She bit down on her lower lip, fighting against the urge to open her mouth in a smile. Finally, the steps stopped, and a pair of arms wrapped entirely around her body. Veronica’s composure folded as her face immediately broke into a smile, her mouth pulling wide in response to her laughter as Archie started to burrow his head into the crook of her neck.

“Gersewm.” His voice came out muffled and his words - though incomprehensible - translated to ‘guess-who’ through his barely parted lips. Veronica turned to face him, her left eyebrow quirked up in questioning when Archie slowly wrinkled his own face in a smile - exposing the orange peel he had in place of his teeth that had been stifling his voice. Veronica surprised even herself when she let loose an unrestrained, blissful, bright, and raucous laugh in response. She removed the rind from Archie’s mouth, offhandedly discarding it into the grass beside them and making a mental note to properly dispose of it later. Because she’d determined that this was not a moment for walking to bright blue garbage bins, this was a moment far too perfect to waste. And so, in a blind instant, drunk on their own endorphins, their lips found each other. The kiss completely obliterated every thought that had been dancing around Veronica’s head. For the first time in what felt like forever, her mind was locked in solely to the present. Any worries she had evaporated away like the morning dew on a warm summer day, and the only thing she felt was the warmth radiating off of where their mouths connected spreading through her in a citrus explosion.

“Archie Andrews,” Her voice came out soft and breathy as she brushed her thumb across his cheek, the air around them crackling in her ears, “There is no such thing as an imperfect moment with you.”

The corners of his mouth turned up in a lopsided smile that lit up the world and made everything around them seem so alive. If she could capture that moment, as his eyes began to glitter, in a loop and live in that small infinity for the rest of her life, she wouldn’t hesitate. Because as far as either of them was concerned - there was no better home than the others arms.

Archie moved to reposition himself, sitting with his back against a tree as Veronica reclined against his chest. His arms returned to their post, wrapped around her middle, where she used her available hand to trace up and down his forearm while with the other she firmly held onto his right hand. Slowly and yet all at once the world seemed to stop on its axis, stopping time just for them.

“Tell me about your night.” He asked in a silvery voice, resting his chin on her shoulder and further encasing her body with his own. The corner of her mouth twitched,

“Nothing interesting happened. Not really.” She spoke carefully, selecting each word deliberately as to not arouse any more suspicion than she already had, “How was your night?” Veronica tilted her head so that it lay against his and their temples pressed together.

“The strangest thing happened, actually,” Her hand paused on his arm for a moment.

“Oh?” Her voice came out uneven and she worried Archie could feel the quickened pace of her heart.

“Yeah, I was with Juggy and you came up into the conversation,” He pulled her in even closer, running his thumb over the back of her hand, “And he actually didn’t look like he was about to yank the wheel towards oncoming traffic when he mentioned you.”

Veronica’s hand resumed stroking, “What did he say?”

Archie moved to answer, but before he could even begin to continue their attention was drawn upwards towards Betty who was barreling towards them - her arms crossed, cardigan creased, and face red in a way that indicated Veronica wasn’t going to be talking herself out of this one.

“What _have you done?_ ” Betty thrust her phone so close to Veronica’s face that her eyes had trouble focusing. When they finally did she was able to see her own tweet glaring back at her, hardly visible against the rising sun.

“Saw that did you?” Veronica tried to keep her voice level as she detangled herself from Archie to rise and meet her friend at eye level, her boyfriend quickly following suit and scrambling up to stand beside her.

“What is that?” Archie asked, leaning over Veronica’s shoulder to read off of the screen. Veronica physically recoiled at the sound of her own words being read allowed to her for the first time, being muttered under Archie’s breath.

“Pleased to announce my separation from all things Lodge Industries. I am grateful for my time as a partner in the business, but look forward to spending the school year without the pressures of the market and getting to use this time to channel all of my efforts into smaller personal projects. Thank you to everyone, Lodge Industries will always be where my journey started - now to see where we go.” Archie’s voice grew steadily more somber the further through he got, and by the time he had finished he was no longer standing behind Veronica, readily at her defense. Instead, he had turned to face her with his arms crossed and his stance mirroring Betty’s. “Ronnie, what were you thinking?”

Veronica stumbled across her own words, unable to manage a sentence in her mind - let alone out loud - that could defend herself like the truth. The message had sounded... _favorable_ to her when she’d written it. Professional, quick and clean. She’d thought she had efficiently severed ties without supporting anything the business - or her parents - had done since she traded her place at the table for Pop’s. And, based on the response that followed the tweet, everyone else felt the same way. However, the looks on both of her friends faces told her otherwise.

“I haven’t been involved with Lodge Industries for some time now, Arch, and I figured I may as well be the one to tell everyone.” Veronica bit the inside of her cheek, her eyes fleeting every time they met his when just a few moments ago she would have given anything to get lost in them.

“Ronnie,” Archie firmly placed his hands on her shoulders, tilting his head down to hers. Strands of his fiery hair fell into his eyes, an aftereffect of him letting it grow out a bit more, “You _not_ working with your father puts a bigger target on your back than you working with him. People are going to use you now - they’ll think that there’s bad blood, or that you’re an easier target.”

“Not to mention you have individual enemies from when you were your father’s lackie and now they know you don’t have the full protection of Hiram Lodge.” Betty interjected, pointedly slipping between the pair until she could feel Veronica’s breath against her own. “V, Jug thinks this is the greatest thing you’ve ever done. That’s how you _know_ it was a bad move.”

Veronica narrowed her eyes into near slits, the sudden change in composure even throwing Betty off slightly, “Nothing I do will ever satisfy you people, will it?” Her voice came out guttural, as though she were fighting off the urge to collapse completely, “I work with my father - I’m a traitor. I stop, and I’m putting a target on my back. Did you ever stop to think that I might already have a target on my back? And that’s why I’m doing this? If Jughead thinks it’s a good play then, hey, maybe the Serpent is actually right.” Betty reached out to grab her friends hand, but Veronica pulled hers away.

“We’re worried about you, V.”

“Don’t be.” Veronica pushed past the pair, abandoning the book she’s been reading in the grass as she barrelled through the hallways. People could be heard whispering and watching as she huffed up to her locker, cheeks red and mouth set in a line. She could feel the head rising in her face as she fumbled with her combination, half expecting another note to fall out when she finally got it open, an envelope to hammer in the final nail in her coffin.

But nothing came. And, even worse,

no one came.

Veronica didn’t expect Archie and Betty to come chasing after her in the halls - or, moreover, she didn’t particularly _want_ them to. Afterall, she could say with great confidence that had either of them caught up with her she would have buckled down and told them everything. _Everything,_ everything. Which was the exact opposite of what she wanted to do. As far as plans go, Veronica intended on playing the game and following its rules. Because as long as she did that, she could have a say. And as long as she had a say, they wouldn’t get hurt. Still, in spite of what she may or may not have wanted and all of her plans, when Veronica turned around to walk to class and only met eyes with Cheryl, she couldn’t help but feel totally and completely alone.

“You _are_ aware that people are like, stalker staring at you, right?” Cheryl xtended her arm, allowing Veronica to slip her own through it and be guided through the hallway.

“When are they not?” Veronica mumbled under her breath, leaning in to Cheryl’s shoulder.

Walking beside Cheryl - or just generally having her around - was proving to be not only amiable but considerably advantageous for Veronica, especially in the recent climate. Cheryl was like a shield Veronica constantly found herself ducking behind, and Cheryl had no problem with being the person who had the attention refracted onto her. At this point, she’d learned to enjoy it. Growing up a Blossom had groomed her for the watchful eyes of Riverdale. Not to mention the fact that she had her own fair share of breakdowns and skeletons in her closet, all of which had made her the subject of the public’s eye. But, for Cheryl, is wasn’t a watch in anticipation or a _‘what’s next?’_ that caused people to shift their eyes from the girl with the pearls to the Serpent in red. And - surprisingly enough - it wasn’t fear either. She held their attention because of her gift for maintaining her reputation as Cheryl _Bombshell_ in spite of whatever life through her way. There was no murder, murderer or mother that could get in the way of her greatness. She was easily the Sharpay Evans of Riverdale, and that made her captivating. So much so that even Veronica found herself looking up at her as they walked beside each other, arm in arm, through the school.

“So I noticed your little _tweet_ yesterday.” Cheryl spoke pointedly, unphased by the way the crowds in the school vertibly _parted_ for her to walk without disruption, “And I must say, I’m inspired - and impressed. It takes guts to pull a stunt like that, Lodge.”

“Then why is it only you and Jughead seem to think so.” Veronica found herself defending an action she’d actually wanted no part in. In a perfect world, she would have let her father and his team of slippery lawyers handle the release. Something small, but enough for an honorary mention article in the Daily Mail to fill the space between the celebrity on vacation and the video of a bird ordering off of Amazon on it’s own. Instead, Veronica’s tweet had landed a headliner on multiple media platforms and she could already _feel_ the lecture she was set to receive when she got home that evening.

“Doesn’t matter.” Veronica shook her head, “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Tell me something else.”

“ _Well,”_ Cheryl nodded her head towards Josie, who was standing in the corner with her hair disheveled and a songbook clutched in her hands so tightly her knuckles appeared ghostly, “Rumour has it Valerie went MIA after a big pussycat fight yesterday. But you probably know that - as an alternate and everything.”

“No, actually,” Veronica knit her eyebrows together, fully aware she was watching Josie in the same way every was watching her. “I didn’t.” She peeled away from Cheryl and made a move towards Josie - who seemed to be becoming a spectacle in her own right.

“Hey Jo are you doing alright?” She spoke softly, setting her hand down on Josie’s shoulder and giving her a supportive squeeze.

“Valerie she - I - I told her to leave and then she didn’t go home.”

Just as Veronica was moving to pull Josie into her arms, her phone vibrated twice in  her back pocket. Something she assumed was no coincidence,

“One second, Jo.” She said sweetly as she turned away and opened the device.

**ROUND TWO**

LEAVE RIVERDALE

vs

LEAVE THE VIXENS

And so the world just keeps turning. No matter how much you ask it to stop.


	3. Chapter 3

The moments before chaos are the ones that often yield the most tranquil of seconds, similar to that of the hours before a storm. The hours where the sky is calm, colorful and bright - long before the clouds even begin to grey. Before anything has the chance to blunder in and create pandamonium. When everything remains  _ still.  _

Veronica held herself back, lingering at the entry and concealing herself mostly behind the cool metal of the music rooms doorway. Inside the room, Josie was bent over a keyboard. Her body was tense as she ran her vocals up and down, entering each new octave like the notes were made for her. Still, it was clear that no matter how clearly her voice rang out, she wasn’t satisfied - and none of Melody’s attempts to calm her friend would be successful. 

“We need to get these harmonies  _ down,  _ Mel. This performance is everything.” Josie ran her hand through her hair, disheveling her already unkempt up-do. Her lips were pressed tightly together, paling slightly in the center from strain. These were only their  _ warm ups -  _ the very beginning of a practice that Veronica was sure to get harangued about her tardiness to the moment she crossed the threshold and stepped into the room. 

At this point, everyone in the school had likely had the privilege of hearing the town-famous trio rehearsing. They broke away and practiced every available moment they had. Whether that be between classes, before and after school, or during lengthy bathroom breaks they’d take whenever they could. But it was now, on the day of their performance, that they would turn up shy a Pussycat and up a Lodge. Making all of their practice - in Josie’s eyes at least - all for not. 

“Hey,” Veronica tapped her knuckle gentle on the door frame, startling the duo slightly, “Jo, can I talk to you for a minute?” 

Josie’s head turned sharply in Veronica’s direction, further touseling her hair and ringlets broke free of their binding and fell into her face. 

“You’re fifteen minutes late.” Josie’s mouth was downturned in what Veronica feared would become a permanent scowl. Her eyes had turned to slits as she observed Veronica’s hair or - more accurately - her lack of a certain feline accessory. “Thanks for finally deciding to grace us with your presence, Ms. Lodge, but if you don’t mind we don’t exactly  _ have  _ a minute for private conferences. We have to rehearse.” She turned back to the sheet music in front of her, rearranging it just to have something to fidget with.

Veronica fiddled with her hands, stepping further into the room with extreme caution - the lingering thought of the game in the back of her mind pushing her forward and reminding her why she was even doing this in the first place.

“About that…” She let her voice trail off as she looked off into a corner of the room where a poster for the class of 1972 hung proudly. The only year Riverdale brought home a national music award of any prestige. The year Josie’s mom led the department with her legendary vocals.

“About  _ what. _ ” Josie’s voice alone would have been enough to coat the entire room in a freeze - not to mention the icy stare she coupled it with. Melody took this note as her cue to depart, seeing this as an opportunity to escape the room before things got either hostile or uncomfortable. She excused herself on a water break and ducked behind Veronica into the hallway.

“I-I just don’t think I can perform with you today.” Veronica cleared her throat, “It wouldn’t be right - with Val and all.” Her voice was a perfect decrescendo - deflating in perfect tempo with her confidence in the situation as her eyes sought every opportunity to escape the glower of her friend.

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Josie took a step towards Veronica, closing the distance and igniting a flush across Veronica’s face. The situation could have been mistaken as intimate - if it weren’t for the animosity of it all. “Why couldn’t you tell me this  _ earlier? _ ” She grit out between her teeth. The part of the day Josie had spent sobbing into Veronica’s shoulder was clearly long behind her, and she was beginning to look as though she’d prefer to rip  _ off  _ Veronica’s shoulder and beat her with it.

“I just - I was.. Thinking about everything.” Veronica was now wringing out her hands as she stuttered out her sentences, stumbling across her own words - words that she’d rehearsed so many times in her head. Josie huffed, her nostrils flared out and her hands digging into her petite waist as leaned herself in even close to Veronica. She was acting as though it was  _ her  _ idea to have the great ‘Josie and the Pussycats’ reunion at today’s assembly. Like it was Veronica who was refusing to cancel the event - even in light of recent events.

“I can’t perform with just two people,  _ Lodge,  _ that’s just not how we work. This isn’t Josie and the Pussy _ cat.  _ The band got back together for a reason and it wasn’t to debut as a duo.” She nearly growled, and Veronica took a beat to consider if this was the origin of their bands theme before realigning her thoughts with the task at hand.

“Jo,” Veronica started, reaching for her friends shoulders in the midst of her sudden improvisation. She’d thrown her mental script to the wind, seeing as her words were failing her anyways, and she still was uncertain whether or not the conversation would end well, “Valerie is  _ missing _ .”

Instant regret flooded in as soon as the words left her lips. Josie took a step back, looking appalled up until her lower lip began to tremble, making it obvious that all she’d been doing since that morning was trying bury and ignore the fact that Valerie was missing. Rather than confronting it, Josie was substituting the pain by focusing on the  _ one  _ thing she knew - without a doubt - she could do. With or without her best friend. Veronica’s voice softened as she carried on, hoping to salvage whatever she could by continuing to speak  - rather than making a greater mess of things.

“If she’d left on her own merit I’d feel differently. I’m just not okay with filling in for her today.” The corner of her mouth turned up in an apologetic smile. Veronica hesitated, unsure whether she should walk out or pull her friend into yet another close hug. She opted for the latter as she wrapped her arms tightly around Josie, resting her chin on top of her head, reacting to her trembles by holding her closer. Soon, both of their bodies had begun to quiver in cadence with each others unstable breaths and, even still, Veronica found herself half-expecting to hear Josie mumbling and moaning in about how her day of crying was swelling her vocal chords. At least then there was a chance she might have felt the need to cancel the performance. 

The pair had fallen into an almost rhythmic state as Josie’s cries turned into a mere whimper, unsettled only by the sound of cautionary clicks of heels ricocheting off of the lockers and filling the halls- only to stop just outside of the doorway that Veronica had previously stood in. Both of the girls tensed, not quite ready to seperate but still prepared to do so nonetheless. 

“Did I miss a memo?” Cheryl’s voice was reciprocated with little to no surprise from either of the girls, rather they turned to face her - Josie’s eyes still red and stinging, “Or is this just practice for blubber-con?” 

Veronica’s face twisted into a wry expression, her eyes becoming slits as they met with Cheryl’s. In turn causing her to falter in her step as she moved closer to the two.

“Sorry, ‘ice queen’,” Cheryl held up her hands in a faux surrender, “Just thought you’d like to know that your pretty boy has been looking all over for you - and if you ask me, I think he ought to just figure out your schedule. I mean come  _ on,  _ even  _ I  _ found you.”

“What?” Veronica’s head cocked forward, she was now completely detached from her friend but one arm remained cautiously hovering as though in preparation to hold her back from a fight. Cheryl rolled her eyes, 

“Archie’s looking for you.” Her abridged statement hung in the air for a few moments, her voice was unsavory and she’d ended it with a rather pitiful  _ click.  _

Whether or not Veronica’s heart skipped or stopped entirely was uncertain. Regardless, immediately following her heart rate grew rapid as she began to fill her mind with reams of worst case scenarios. Veronica hadn’t seen her boyfriend outside the detaining walls of a classroom since that morning before school. The entire day they’d seemed to be running on opposite tracks - the couple had even managed to miss each other at  _ lunch.  _ Up until now, Veronica hadn’t thought much of the phenomenon at all, crediting it to an unusually hectic day. She gave a quick apologetic look to Josie before slipping behind Cheryl and back into the hallway. Her eyes scanned the corridor for any flash of red as her pace began to hasten - not out of a sense of urgency or fear, but rather from a rather sorry conscience. A conscience that one cannot simply  _ outrun.  _

_ Oof,  _ “Hi.” Veronica’s voice came out breathily as she expertly crashed into her prey. Her arms instinctively slid between his, effectively wrapping around his middle. She paused for a moment, taking the time to stand still and breath in the scent of his shirt. It smelt of the outdoors - of sunshine - and a day well spent. It was earthly and blended with the residual musk of his antiperspirant that, as far as Veronica was concerned, smelt like  _ Archie.  _

“Slow your roll there, tiger,” Archie laughed, pressing his lips on the top of her head before settling his cheek there. He pulled her closer to lessen what felt like the ever growing distance between them, “I haven’t seen you much today.” 

Veronica buried her face deeper into his chest, hiding herself in the navy fabric of his shirt. ‘ _ Guilty’  _ was the response marinating on her tongue - primarily do to the fact that this is exactly how she felt. Long before the texts or the arrest, before her father had ever  made a move to purchase the Southside, before she’d ever even  _ moved  _ to Riverdale, Veronica had felt exhaustively  _ guilty.  _ She’s had blood on her ledger since the day she was conceived and not a single soul to talk to about it. That is, unless there was someone out there who wasn’t afraid of smearing a little red on their own.

“So now you’re using Cheryl to send me messages? Rather than, you know, a phone?” Veronica said in place of what she was thinking. This was due to the fact that, out of everything she’d learned from him, the ability to change the course of a conversation was the one talent she  _ wasn’t  _ disgusted to say she got from her father.

“You weren’t  _ responding  _ to your phone.” Archie hooked his arms behind her, and he must have felt her heart stop. Veronica pulled away from their embrace, her stomach was already beginning to tie itself into knots as she faced yet another wave of panic.

“What?” Only their hands remained entangled as she continued to back away, and she could feel her palms beginning to grow slick. Veronica let one of her hands fall down to her side as she turned away from Archie, and neither of them made a move to stop it. But, when Veronica continued to pull away Archie guided her back to him. 

“Ron, I tried your phone. You didn’t answer - there’s nothing to worry about it’s no big deal.” Archie spoke carefully, selecting his words in attempt to de-escalate the situation he didn’t understand. Veronica’s eyes struggled to find a place to look as he mind operated at a million miles a minute, she didn’t have time to explain or calm down.

“Listen, Arch. I’m really sorry, but I’ll be right back.” She bit her lower lip, trying desperately to focus on his face - on his eyes, but she didn’t have time. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek, “I love you.” She smiled before turning out to the hall, waving behind her as she jogged over to her locker. In the past (the past being a week before) Veronica didn’t think much of her locker at all. It was more of a pit stop between classes than anything. A home for her books since she opted for a Givenchy purse instead of a backpack. But, now, it was _‘_ The Locker’.The locker where this whole mess began. The daunting locker that she was beginning to assume nothing good could ever come out of. The locker that - she couldn’t get open? Veronica shook the handle on her locker, quavering the surrounding lockers. Finally, willing the thing open, the door swung back with a force and sent a small brown package to the floor in the process. _Shit._ She left the box on the ground as she dug through her locker, looking for her phone. When she found it she bent down and picked up the box as she aggressively  pressed the home button. The device slowly came to life, emitting a glow followed by the three monkey emojis she was hoping wouldn’t become a regular appearance in her life. After they transitioned off the screen her options faded in.

 

**ROUND THREE**

DELIVER A PACKAGE 

vs

THIS  HITS SOCIAL MEDIA

 

Veronica’s thumb hovered over the hyperlink, she wasn’t even sure she wanted to know whatever blackmail against her they were harboring. Regardless, she let her finger go down on the screen and the question was replaced by three dots chasing each other in circles as a file began to load. Finally, the image began to play on the screen. It was dark, but they were unmistakable. The camera was in the Southside, that much was clear, and Archie and Jughead were hauling a large wooden crate up a garage ramp and handing it off inside. A crate, Veronica figured, that didn’t have any  _ furniture  _ inside of it.

“Damnit, Andrews.” Veronica whispered to herself as she looked down at the address of the package she would be delivering. It was in the nicer part of town - not the Pembrooke penthouse kind of nice, but decent enough for her to recognize the name of the street. A sigh escaped her as she selected the option to deliver the package. She placed the box in her bag and her phone in her backpack just before Archie came up behind her and scooped her up into a hug. 

In this moment she should have felt something. And ordinarily, she might have. She might have laughed, or smiled, or done  _ anything  _ except for standing cold and stiff in her tracks when the boy she loved was clearly just trying to make her happy. Any other girl in the school would  _ love  _ to be held like this by Archie Andrews. That was made evident any time Veronica walked with him in the halls. The way they all looked and whispered. And still, selfishly, as he burrowed his head into the crook of her neck, Veronica felt nothing. Veronica  _ did  _ nothing. Nothing but pretend to smile and laugh and do all of the things a normal girlfriend should do. And he didn’t seem to notice that it was any different.

No one did.

“Arch -  _ Arch,”  _ Veronica kept her eyes low as she faced him, her hand rest on his chest, “I have to go - I have an errand to run.” Her lips pinched up in a counterfeit smile.

 

“ _ You, _ ” Archie said, slipping his hand into hers and leading her reluctantly down the hall, “Have an assembly to suffer through, just like the rest of us.” The corner of his mouth quirked up in the sloppy grin all attractive guys seemed to have, the kind the used to melt Veronica every time she saw it - every time it was just for her.

Inside the gym the students were separated according to their grade level, each group divided by the bleachers and maintain by a staff member who was stationed every few aisles. Betty and Jughead were towards the back of the senior section, sitting so close together that Betty was practically positioned on his lap. She waved enthusiastically to her friends when she caught sight of Archies red hair and Veronica’s statement pearls. Veronica smiled and waved back subtly as they walked over to them, her head rested on Archie’s shoulder. Placed there because that’s precisely what Veronica would do. Or at least, the Veronica before.

“Arch, Veronica.” Jughead nodded in their direction, acknowledging Veronica’s presence without the underlying tense of disgust for the first time since she moved to Riverdale. Most likely because of her announcement the evening before.

“If this is another anti-JJ seminar I’m out.” Veronica joked, sitting down next to her best friend. Riverdale was no Sunnydale but they were still known partially for their regular out-of-town visitors who came in to teach the youth life lessons on how to deal with grief, drugs, and the madness that was their little town.

“It’s a memorial for Midge. It’s been a year.” Jughead spoke nonchalantly, no even noting how his sentence change the mood of every student within hearing distance. Her name  _ alone  _ in the hallways was enough to make everyone silent. No one wanted to talk about it. No one knew what to say. Least of all Betty.

The four of them sat in silence after that. They watched as everyone else walked into the gym - looking at the once who knew what was happening, and those who were blissfully unaware. There were freshman who never knew her and everyone else who did. Even the people who didn’t  _ know  _ her knew her name or - at the very least - how she died. 

Soon, as word began to spread, every face in the crowd had grown sullen. Mr. Weatherbee made his way behind a podium where he held up his hand to call for a silence that had seized hold of the crowd. A silence that grew deafening the moment Moose Mason blundered into the gym - late, stumbling, and causing every single person’s breath to hitch.

No one moved.

No one breathed.

No one dared. 

Moose made his way over to the senior side of the bleachers, looking worse for wear and two shots away from becoming the spectacle everyone was waiting for. Veronica jumped up from her place and bubbling over the tangle of legs she had to weave through to rush down the steps. Her footsteps echoed throughout the silent room, as heel met metal. 

Veronica knew this scenario all too well. She’d lived it - she had nightmares about it. The assembly held after Archie was rested was intended to be a comfort for those who knew him - or so the counselor claimed. Every assembly was  _ meant  _ to be something. And it never was. Veronica knew that the last thing Moose - or anyone who was close to Midge - needed was an adult, a  _ stranger,  _ who knew nothing about her to tell them about her life.

“C’mon you don’t have to listen to this.” Veronica said as she propped her arm underneath Moose’s, trying to help keep him on balance, her eyes shot up to her friends who were just as frozen as everyone else. 

Without help Veronica guided Moose up the stairs and out the door to the second floor of the school. Faint voices of the choir fell behind them as the door shut. Veronica wanted to ask him if he was okay, but she knew he wasn’t. And she knew that - in spite of this fact - he’d tried to tell her he was anyways. And it’s useless to try to bullshit a bullshitter.

“Do you want me to drive you home?” She asked, leaning both of them up against the wall. His head hung low, and she took that as a yes. “Let’s go, Moose.” 

The drive was quiet, but of a different breed. This silence came from understanding. A kind that came without words. Outside of Moose’s house Kevin and few of the others who had participated in the play were waiting, their own words of condolences and mourning written down and ready to be heard. They offered for her to stay, and she wanted to, but Veronica had an errand to run.

Veronica typed the address on the box into her phone, following the blue path halfway across town and into the driveway of the McCoy residence. Veronica rehearsed a mental monologue as she walked up to the front door, her hair was shielding her face from the late afternoon sun. After a few failed attempts at knocks and doorbell rings Veronica gave in and left the package on the front step, feeling half tempted to shout out to the void ‘ _ There! I did it! Are you happy?’  _ Just as she was about to unlock her car she felt her phone buzz in her back pocket, and her heart sunk as she went to check it she went to check the notification. It was a simple text, from an unknown number with four simple words. Words that, when strung together, sent a chill down her spine. 

 

‘You’re in this now.’


End file.
